encouraged

When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him. They didn’t believe he was really a disciple. Then Barnabas brought Saul to the apostles and told them the story about how Saul saw the Lord on the way and that the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them about the confidence with which Saul had preached in the name of Jesus in Damascus. After this, Saul moved freely among the disciples in Jerusalem and was speaking with confidence in the name of the Lord. He got into debates with the Greek-speaking Jews as well, but they tried to kill him. When the family of believers learned about this, they escorted him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. God strengthened the church, and its life was marked by reverence for the Lord. Encouraged by the Holy Spirit, the church continued to grow in numbers. (Acts 9:26-31, CEB)

The Spirit of God moves in mysterious ways and does things we do not expect.

The disciples never expected Saul to meet Jesus and change teams, so they were obviously concerned when Saul came to meet with them. But God has changed Saul.

How can we be encouraged by those who have changed?

Loving People. Loving God.

Change

He stayed with the disciples in Damascus for several days. Right away, he began to preach about Jesus in the synagogues. “He is God’s Son,” he declared. Everyone who heard him was baffled. They questioned each other, “Isn’t he the one who was wreaking havoc among those in Jerusalem who called on this name? Hadn’t he come here to take those same people as prisoners to the chief priests?” But Saul grew stronger and stronger. He confused the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ. After this had gone on for some time, the Jews hatched a plot to kill Saul. However, he found out about their scheme. They were keeping watch at the city gates around the clock so they could assassinate him. But his disciples took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the city wall. (Acts 9:19b-25, CEB)

Have you ever run into an old friend and they seem different?

Just today actually a friend said, you changed. And yes I have trimmed my beard and it is purple, or blue depending on the light, but those who know me know my facial hair has a tendency to change color.

But Saul had changed from persecuting the followers of the way to being a follower of the way and proclaiming Jesus.

And that can happen with all of us. Do not let a person’s past control their future, only God controls the future and God can and does work in and through all things.

God can and will change people, give time, and do not judge people by their past.

Loving People. Loving God.

peace…

As Jesus came to the city and observed it, he wept over it. He said, “If only you knew on this of all days the things that lead to peace. But now they are hidden from your eyes. The time will come when your enemies will build fortifications around you, encircle you, and attack you from all sides. They will crush you completely, you and the people within you. They won’t leave one stone on top of another within you, because you didn’t recognize the time of your gracious visit from God.” (Luke 19:41-44, CEB)

As I am writing this I am preparing to go on and help lead a spiritual retreat. The retreat will have happened by the time this deviation is published, but I am struck by the notion of peace here as I prepare to go help others see and learn and know the love of God for them. And I am not at peace.

I am worried about being on a team leading a retreat for people to learn of God’s love for them and deepen their faith with people who voted for hate to be in power. I am not at peace knowing some of the people helping me lead a retreat of God’s love voted for love to be removed from our way of life.

I pray I find peace in the solace of time with God, my creator and gracious friend.

I pray I do not let those who voted for hate to take my peace.

For peace is not the absence of trouble, but the assurance we are with God.

I am with God. I stand for love. I stand against the exclusion of any of God’s children and against hatred running for power in this world.

God will always win and walks with us every step of the way.

Know peace. Know Love.

Know you are loved.

And help others to see that love, when the world tries to take it away.

Loving People. Loving God.

Speak to inform

Therefore, those who speak in a tongue should pray to be able to interpret. If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind isn’t productive. What should I do? I’ll pray in the Spirit, but I’ll pray with my mind too; I’ll sing a psalm in the Spirit, but I’ll sing the psalm with my mind too. After all, if you praise God in the Spirit, how will the people who aren’t trained in that language say “Amen!” to your thanksgiving, when they don’t know what you are saying? You may offer a beautiful prayer of thanksgiving, but the other person is not being built up. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I’d rather speak five words in my right mind than speak thousands of words in a tongue so that I can teach others. Brothers and sisters, don’t be like children in the way you think. Well, be babies when it comes to evil, but be adults in your thinking. In the Law it is written: I will speak to this people with foreign languages and foreigners’ lips, but they will not even listen to me this way, says the Lord. So then, tongues are a sign for those who don’t believe, not for those who believe. But prophecy is a sign for believers, not for those who don’t believe. So suppose that the whole church is meeting and everyone is speaking in tongues. If people come in who are outsiders or unbelievers, won’t they say that you are out of your minds? But if everyone is prophesying when an unbeliever or outsider comes in, they are tested by all and called to account by all. The secrets of their hearts are brought to light. When that happens, they will fall on their faces and worship God, proclaiming out loud that truly God is among you! (1 Corinthians 14:13-25, CEB)

We use a lot of insider language in the church. We talk about grace, mercy, hermeneutics, and other big words that don’t always translate to non church speak.

Paul is telling the Corinthians if they pray in tongues that is great, but if they can’t understand it or those around who hear it can’t understand it it really isn’t feeding them.

We need to say things so people hear them and understand them.

We need to say things in a way that God’s love is made known to those who may never have heard or know about it.

How can we speak the love in a language everyone can understand?

Love out loud!

Loving People. Loving God.

Whose way?

What we say is wisdom to people who are mature. It isn’t a wisdom that comes from the present day or from today’s leaders who are being reduced to nothing. We talk about God’s wisdom, which has been hidden as a secret. God determined this wisdom in advance, before time began, for our glory. It is a wisdom that none of the present-day rulers have understood, because if they did understand it, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory! But this is precisely what is written: God has prepared things for those who love him that no eye has seen, or ear has heard, or that haven’t crossed the mind of any human being. God has revealed these things to us through the Spirit. The Spirit searches everything, including the depths of God. Who knows a person’s depths except their own spirit that lives in them? In the same way, no one has known the depths of God except God’s Spirit. We haven’t received the world’s spirit but God’s Spirit so that we can know the things given to us by God. These are the things we are talking about—not with words taught by human wisdom but with words taught by the Spirit—we are interpreting spiritual things to spiritual people. But people who are unspiritual don’t accept the things from God’s Spirit. They are foolishness to them and can’t be understood, because they can only be comprehended in a spiritual way. Spiritual people comprehend everything, but they themselves aren’t understood by anyone. Who has known the mind of the Lord, who will advise him? But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:6-16, CEB)

Leaders do not understand the ways of God, because if they did they would not have crucified Jesus.

And none of us get the depths of God, except God’s spirit. We do not understand the plan, even if it was laid out before us in minute detail we would not get it.

We need to understand that God’s ways are the right way even when we don’t understand them. And follow.

When we insert our own desires and needs then we will send things in the wrong direction.

Let God’s way be the way.

Loving People. Loving God.

Prophet

He began to explain to them, “Today, this scripture has been fulfilled just as you heard it.” Everyone was raving about Jesus, so impressed were they by the gracious words flowing from his lips. They said, “This is Joseph’s son, isn’t it?” Then Jesus said to them, “Undoubtedly, you will quote this saying to me: ‘Doctor, heal yourself. Do here in your hometown what we’ve heard you did in Capernaum.’” He said, “I assure you that no prophet is welcome in the prophet’s hometown. And I can assure you that there were many widows in Israel during Elijah’s time, when it didn’t rain for three and a half years and there was a great food shortage in the land. Yet Elijah was sent to none of them but only to a widow in the city of Zarephath in the region of Sidon. There were also many persons with skin diseases in Israel during the time of the prophet Elisha, but none of them were cleansed. Instead, Naaman the Syrian was cleansed.” When they heard this, everyone in the synagogue was filled with anger. They rose up and ran him out of town. They led him to the crest of the hill on which their town had been built so that they could throw him off the cliff. But he passed through the crowd and went on his way. (Luke 4:21-30, CEB)

Are you willing to speak the word that needs to be spoken?

To say what God has ordained to be said, even when you know it will lead to people wanting to silence you?

We are in a time when if we are silent we join the oppression. Our silence is not what is needed. We need to speak as people of God the words we know to be truth in the face of those trying to horde power and make the world look like them.

Speak. Love.

Loving People. Loving God.

Come and see

The next day Jesus wanted to go into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law and the Prophets: Jesus, Joseph’s son, from Nazareth.” Nathanael responded, “Can anything from Nazareth be good?” Philip said, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here is a genuine Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are God’s Son. You are the king of Israel.” Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these! I assure you that you will see heaven open and God’s angels going up to heaven and down to earth on the Human One.” (John 1:43-51, CEB)

Come and see.

When was the last time you invited someone to worship?

When I was in seminary, over 19 years ago now we talked about Lutherans inviting people to worship. Back then the statistic was the average Lutheran invited someone to worship, once every 17 years. I did a search on Google to see what I could find quickly when writing this and Google AI overview said, “According to recent surveys, Lutherans are considered among the least likely to invite people to church, with a significant portion reporting they haven’t invited anyone in the past six months; this means many Lutherans may not actively invite people to church very often, if at all.”

How are they to know if they do not get invited to come?

And if I as a pastor invite someone to come they are less likely to come than if a non pastor asks them to come.

Come and see!

Loving People. Loving God.

Know

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul took a route through the interior and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. He asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you came to believe?” They replied, “We’ve not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” Then he said, “What baptism did you receive, then?” They answered, “John’s baptism.” Paul explained, “John baptized with a baptism by which people showed they were changing their hearts and lives. It was a baptism that told people about the one who was coming after him. This is the one in whom they were to believe. This one is Jesus.” After they listened to Paul, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in other languages and prophesying. Altogether, there were about twelve people. Paul went to the synagogue and spoke confidently for the next three months. He interacted with those present and offered convincing arguments concerning the nature of God’s kingdom. Some people had closed their minds, though. They refused to believe and publicly slandered the Way. As a result, Paul left them, took the disciples with him, and continued his daily interactions in Tyrannus’ lecture hall. This went on for two years, so that everyone living in the province of Asia—both Jews and Greeks—heard the Lord’s word. (Acts 19:1-10, CEB)

When did the Spirit come to those in the text that Paul was questioning?

They said they were baptized by John’s baptism, which is one that shows a wanting to change, and then Paul told them to be baptized in the name of Jesus the one John was proclaiming was coming.

And after they listened to Paul explain this to them they were baptized and when Paul placed his hands on them they received the Holy Spirit.

Was that when Paul baptized them, after, before?

Sometimes I think we are so hung up on knowing when things happen and how they happen we just can’t accept that they happened. We need to know and faith isn’t about knowing it is about trusting.

Know you won’t know and learn to be ok with that.

Loving People. Loving God.

Surely no one can stop them…

While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on everyone who heard the word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. They heard them speaking in other languages and praising God. Peter asked, “These people have received the Holy Spirit just as we have. Surely no one can stop them from being baptized with water, can they?” He directed that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited Peter to stay for several days. (Acts 10:44-48, CEB)

Surely no one can stop them from being baptized since God already gave them the Spirit, right?

In the Lutheran denomination I serve in we have our baptism service and after the baptism of water we have a line said as a cross is drawn in water or oil on the one being baptized head to the effect, “name of person you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.” Some would argue this is the point where the Spirit comes, I would argue it is whenever the Spirit feels like coming, or when we are born.

The Gospel of John says, “Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.” (John 3:5, NRSVue). Everyone is born of water, there is a lot of liquid at birth, and I would argue everyone is born of Spirit as well when God so chooses.

All are a part of the Imago Dei. We all make up the image of God, so no one can stop them/us from being a part. No matter how bad they don’t want someone there, we are not God.

Love like Jesus and know you don’t get to choose. God already did that.

Loving People. Loving God.

Restored

After leaving the synagogue, Jesus went home with Simon. Simon’s mother-in-law was sick with a high fever, and the family asked Jesus to help her. He bent over her and spoke harshly to the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and served them. When the sun was setting, everyone brought to Jesus relatives and acquaintances with all kinds of diseases. Placing his hands on each of them, he healed them. Demons also came out of many people. They screamed, “You are God’s Son.” But he spoke harshly to them and wouldn’t allow them to speak because they recognized that he was the Christ. When daybreak arrived, Jesus went to a deserted place. The crowds were looking for him. When they found him, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said to them, “I must preach the good news of God’s kingdom in other cities too, for this is why I was sent.” So he continued preaching in the Judean synagogues. (Luke 4:38-44, CEB)

I admit I have issue with the start of this text because Simon’s mother-in-law was sick, and Jesus healed the sickness and she got up and made them dinner. Why did she need to serve them?

Well, she didn’t but remember the time. She was restored to her place in the community. Serving them was what the community expected of her.

Healing was not about physical, mental, or spiritual well-being, it was about being restored to a place in the community. The lepers and the blind that sat outside the gate so others couldn’t catch what they had, when healed they were allowed back into the community.

How are we restoring community and making sure everyone is included?

Loving People. Loving God.